The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Monday officially posted notice in the federal register that the gambling compact between the state and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is going into effect.

"It's now official. Today is a day of great significance for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe," Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a statement. "The Tribal State Compact was officially placed in the Federal Register today and will now take effect as federal law. This is another important step towards the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe bringing Project First Light destination resort Casino to the Great City of Taunton, creating much needed jobs, and a tremendous economic uplift for the people of Southeastern Massachusetts, City of Taunton and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe."

The Mashpee hope to build a $500 million casino in East Taunton, but currently lack the necessary federal land designations. They are pursuing a casino under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, bypassing the state licensure process for commercial casinos.

Under the compact, which spells out the terms of operation of the casino, the Mashpee would pay 17 percent of casino revenue to the state of Massachusetts, but wouldn't pay the state anything if a commercial casino is built in the southeastern region of the state, which includes Plymouth and Bristol counties, Cape Cod and the islands.

The tribe would pay the state 15 percent if a slots parlor opens in the region, and 20 percent in the unlikely event that there are no commercial casinos statewide.

Amid concerns that the Mashpee may never qualify for the federal land-in-trust designation they need to open a casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the state Gaming Commission voted last year to solicit commercial casino applications in the southeastern region. KG Urban and Foxwoods have formally announced they are pursuing commercial casino applications in New Bedford and Fall River, respectively.

The Gaming Commission has stopped short of saying it will definitely award a commercial license in the region.

Last month, the Bureau of Indian Affairs confirmed that the review period on the compact had passed with no action being taken on it, meaning it was essentially approved to the extent that it complied with existing federal law.

The BIA sent the tribe a letter on Jan. 6 stating that while it was concerned that a section of the compact could potentially call for unlawful state regulation of Class II gambling, the concern did not rise to the level necessary to reject the entire compact.